Elf
Elves are a kin of immortal, sapient, nearly hairless bipedal creatures that resemble primates, particularly humans, but they are not humes, having been created entirely separately. They were the first people to be formed and were the most directed in their development. They cannot be killed by disease or old age, are thus impervious to contagion, but they can die of wounds or starvation. Elves have generally more leaf-shaped ears; eyes that have a light and certain intensity to them; are on average taller than humans; have fine, straight hair that can take on golden and silvery hues that other kins' cannot; and almost all are considered beautiful by humish standards. They have keen eyesight, much like a hawk's; they can move as silently and nimbly as a cat, leading many to assume they must be fae; can use their right and left hand equally; and all high elves are telepaths. Despite the prowess of elves in battle, kin such as humans, dwarves, and thurses can easily grow to be physically stronger than them. Immortality Elves do not die of natural causes. They do not succumb to disease and only age slightly after 10,000 years. Their humors, it is said, are to be always in perfect balance. Elves can go longer periods without food and water than any other kin and when they reach their limit, they go into a torpor until they are provided for, though too long in torpor they will starve just like any other physical being. The same is true for breath and extreme heat or cold. If not in torpor for too long, once they have air, cool, or thaw they will revive, though when frozen they do not require nourishment and can revive after lengthy periods. In spite of this, elves can be killed by significant wounds to the body or total destruction of their flesh. They can endure far more wounds than a human (an elf child could survive greater wounds than a human mage acolyte), so such a death is not easy to bring upon an elf. Similarly, if elves were to go two months without food, they would also succumb to the weakness of their body. Elves are also susceptible to death by gwanu. After an elf dies, it is subject to reincarnation, a reforming of the body in the place the spirit waits. Artefacts are built that draw the spirits of dead elves so they may be reincarnated in a protected place full of those that can guide them back into full existence again. Though the experience of reincarnating is disorienting, having the same spirit, elves retain their minds and recover their awareness of themselves even before their bodies are fully recovered and reformed. Their new bodies, though, begin again as children, taking the customary 120 years to reach their fullness of maturity. A reborn elf must go through the process of remembering that they know what they knew and are for some time scattered in their minds compared to their former glory. They can completely recover, but it may take a century or two for them to do so, in which time they are no longer to participate in any cause in the same way or defend any weaker folk they may have died for. Due to the nature of their spirits' attachment to their bodies, elves cannot be revived with magic. Once they die, their spirits are immediately torn from their souls. Sleep Elves do not sleep like other kins. For only about the length of one watch (or 4 hours) they sit, lie, or otherwise rest in a meditative-like state called lostel, eyes open and in their mind weaving together the beauty of the world around them. They may even be as active as walking back and forth singing to themselves. They can easily be stirred from this state and can go much longer than a human without entering this state before they grow weary. Lostel can often be seen at their feastings, when the music grows somber and the firelight glows softly, the elves will recline with eyes wistful, in a daze, still making faces and delighting in the music. Elves can go into their meditative state periodically throughout the day, when events are not lively or important, breaking it up much like napping among other folk. In times of peril or exuberant celebration they will easily go for a week without ever entering lostel. And though they are somewhat wearied by the adversity, the joy and bliss of an elvish feast gives them plenty of rest to continue on without the typical lostel. When greatly drained or wounded in battle, they may go into lórë, a deep sleep, for days, but this is seen as a dire condition. There is a rare occurrence, known in the tale of Bainor, in which an elf torn in spirit or in danger of gwanu will go into a deep sleep until their spirit can rest and the times have changed. It is known as the “short death” or “man death” among the elves and it is a drastic measure not spoken of by any but the loremasters, guarded knowledge kept from impetuous youths. This hibernation can go wrong and has made vile things that wake and roam the wild on more than one occasion. That is why it is done only by the wisest elves in the most desperate but not immediately dangerous times. There have only been a small number who have taken man death and their dark stories are known by those who brave their telling by firelight. Food Elves coax the ground and the forests to bear them food in a parley other kin only dream of. Thus their farming is far different from that of humans. Their "fields" are magnificent gardens or forests that would otherwise be thought of as untouched by any person or population. Where the land is tough and begrudging, elves will work the land much like other kin, but their fields small and their yields plentiful and strange. They way elves work with water also contributes to the bountiful fertility of their fields and gardens. For meat, elves apply their skills to hunting and thoroughly enjoy it, yet they have an intimate knowledge of the conditions of the woods, choose to interfere with the course of nature and speak to their non-sapient quarry by their magic, and after ritually thank it. Above all, they guard their forests more jealously than any king. Sources http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/144686/how-long-can-elves-go-without-sleeping http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/46640/how-do-the-elves-in-lotr-canon-obtain-their-food https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_leaf_morphology#lanceolate http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elven_Characteristics Category:Elves Category:Ellador Category:Odenna Category:Amrun Category:Kins